Wine Bottle

ABSTRACT

A 750 ml wine bottle configured to contain a clearly marked reduced content of 375 ml achieved by an increased thickness of the base of the bottle or from an enlarged punt of sufficient size extending into the interior of the bottle or a combination of both and optionally a removable cap formed of a suitable liquid impervious material secured about the base of the bottle to contain a quantity of coolant, for example, ice disposed within the enlarged punt to cool the contents of the bottle.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon the disclosure of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/963,245 filed Nov. 27, 2013, which is herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The subject of this invention resides in the field of wine bottles andmore particularly relates to a wine bottle that has a normal sizeexterior appearance but yet which holds approximately one-half of thevolume content.

2. History of the Prior Art

Wine has been a staple commodity in commerce for many centuries.Although wine has been bottled in different sizes, the most typical sizeis now referred to as a standard size holding 750 ml. Typically, thesestandard size bottles measure approximately two and seven-eights tothree inches in diameter to between eleven and thirteen inches in heightdepending upon the design. Standard size bottles can have straight orcurved sides and can be sealed with corks or other types of sealingmeans. The bottom of the bottle is usually formed with an inwardlyextending portion, referred to as a punt, which allows sediment in thewine to settle within the outer circular perimeter around the punt. Sucha bottle is very traditional for both wines and champagnes. Anothertraditional size of wine is a half-bottle which holds 375 ml of wine andwhich is approximately half the size of a regular wine bottle. It shouldbe noted that although the contents of a bottle of hard liquor, once thebottle has been opened, can be enjoyed over a period of time, thecontents of a bottle of wine and champagne, once the bottle has beenopened, degrades over time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide a wine bottle that isstandard sized in outward appearance yet holds half the content of astandard wine bottle. The reason for desiring such a bottle is that, forexample, when two people are dining at a restaurant and order a bottleof wine, a standard bottle may be too much for the pair to consume. Toaddress this problem half-size bottles are available to order. Theproblem with half-sized bottles is that they are small and do not lookas impressive as standard size bottles and give the appearance ofcheapness even though they may contain expensive wine. To avoid suchappearance, the bottle of this invention will provide the smaller amountof contents, but will give the appearance of a standard size bottle ofwine to any observer. According to a recent report by Morgan Stanleyanalysts, there is currently a global wine shortage in that worldwidewine production has fallen to a 40 year low and is approximately 300million cases short of meeting international demand. It is thereforealso desirable not to waste wine since the majority of people who open abottle of wine or champagne do not finish the entire bottle at onesitting. Thus the leftover wine is either wasted or its taste degrades.In one embodiment the bottle of this invention utilizes an enlarged puntthat extends much further up into the bottle so as to occupy space thatwould otherwise contain wine so that the bottle only contains 375 ml ofwine.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a standard size winebottle having an increased thickness at its base such that it volumecontent holds 375 ml of wine. In either embodiment, the actual volumemust be clearly marked on the bottle by, for example, a label or moldinginto the surface during manufacture.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a prior art bottle of wine showing anormal sized punt.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of one embodiment of the bottle of thisinvention showing the enlarged punt extending further into the bottle soas to reduce the bottle's volume of content.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of the bottle of FIG. 2 showing theexterior of the body in dashed lines and the extended punt within thebottle in solid lines.

FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of the bottle of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 illustrates a bottom view of the bottle of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 illustrates a side view of another embodiment of the bottle ofthis invention having an increased thickness at its base.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of an additional embodiment of the bottleof this invention showing an additional function of the bottle of thisinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a side view of prior art wine bottle 8 which is typical of astandard size bottle holding 750 ml of wine or champagne within interior14. Seen in this view is punt 12 which extends upward into the bottle adistance 20, leaving a perimeter base area 22 for sediment to accumulatethere around.

FIG. 2 illustrates bottle 10 of this invention with an expanded punt 16extending a much longer distance 18 within bottle 10 compared to thepunt of bottle 8, thereby reducing the volume content within the bottleto half the volume of prior art bottle 8, thereby creating a standardsize bottle that holds only half the amount of liquid compared to theamount held in a standard size bottle.

FIG. 3 illustrates a view of enlarged punt 16 of this invention wherethe sides and top of bottle 10 are depicted in dashed lines. FIG. 4 is atop view of bottle 10 of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a bottom view of bottle10 of FIG. 3.

By incorporating the enlarged punt design of this invention withinbottle 10, the bottle will give the same appearance as a standard bottleas enlarged punt 16 is generally not visible through the sides of thebottle since wine bottles are frequently tinted to prevent light fromaffecting the bottle's contents. Upon viewing bottle 10 of thisinvention, a casual observer would not discern that bottle 10 of winecontains only half the contents of standard prior art bottle 8. Bottle10 can be especially desirable when dealing with expensive wines whichcan cost many hundreds of dollars so that the desirable identifyinglabels can show that it is a high quality wine but yet since thecontents are half the typical amount, the cost should be significantlyless.

Enlarged punt 16 can be molded into position when the bottle ismanufactured or if bottle 10 is made of multiple parts, it can be formedon each portion of the molded piece to be later joined together. Theexact size and desired shape of punt 16 will depend on the bottle'sexterior wall shape and can be mathematically determined to create abottle holding one-half the fluid amount of a standard bottle byadjusting the size and shape of the punt within the bottle.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate embodiment of standard size wine bottle24 of this invention of a style that does not utilize a punt. In thisembodiment base 26 of bottle 24 is of increased thickness so as to fillthe interior volume of the bottle so as to reduce its volume content to375 ml of wine.

FIG. 7 illustrates an additional embodiment of the invention to utilizethe extended and enlarged punt 16 as a chamber for holding a quantity ofsolid or liquid coolant, preferably ice 28, to cool the contents ofbottle 10. Cap 30 is arranged to fit tightly about and seal the bottomof the base and may be constructed of, for example, a liquid impermeablestretchable material such as rubber or similar suitable syntheticcomposition. Optionally, a coaster 32 may be mounted on the bottomsurface of the cap.

By use of the cap the coolant is retained within the punt obviating theneed for a traditional wine cooler or ice bucket.

Although the present invention has been described with reference toparticular embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat variations and modifications can be substituted therefor withoutdeparting from the principles and spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A 750 ml standard size wine bottle of anapproximate base diameter of two and seven-eights to three inches and anapproximate height of eleven to thirteen inches configured to contain areduced volume of 375 ml wherein said reduced volume is achieved byforming said bottle with an enlarged and extended punt thereby resultingin a 375 ml interior capacity of said bottle.
 2. A 750 ml standard sizewine bottle of an approximate base diameter of two and seven-eights tothree inches and an approximate height of eleven to thirteen inchesconfigured to contain a reduced volume of 375 ml wherein said reducedvolume is achieved by forming said bottle with an increased basethickness thereby resulting in a 375 ml interior capacity of saidbottle.
 3. The wine bottle of claim 1 wherein said 375 ml capacity isachieved by a combination of said enlarged and extended punt and anincreased base thickness.
 4. The wine bottle of claim 2 wherein said 375ml capacity is achieved by a combination of said increased basethickness and an enlarged and extended punt.
 5. The wine bottle of claim1 further including a liquid impervious cap sealingly disposed about thebase of said bottle to secure a quantity of coolant disposed therein. 6.The wine bottle of claim 3 further including a liquid impervious capsealingly disposed about the base of said bottle to secure a quantity ofcoolant disposed therein.
 7. The wine bottle of claim 5 wherein said capis comprised of a stretchable material.
 8. The wine bottle of claim 6wherein said cap is comprised of a stretchable material.